Generally described, computing devices and communication networks can be utilized to exchange information. In a common application, a computing device can request content from another computing device via a communication network. For example, a user at a personal computing device can utilize various types of software applications to request information from server computing devices via the Internet. In such embodiments, the user computing device can be referred to as a client computing device and the server computing device can be referred to as a service provider.
In some embodiments, companies and organizations operate computer networks that interconnect a number of computing devices to support operations or provide services to third parties. The computing systems can be located in a single geographic location or located in multiple, distinct geographic locations (e.g., interconnected via private or public communication networks). Specifically, data centers or data processing centers, herein generally referred to as a “data center,” may include a number of interconnected computing systems to provide computing resources to users of the data center. The data centers may be private data centers operated on behalf of an organization or public data centers operated on behalf, or for the benefit of, the general public.
In some embodiments, a client computing device may access software applications that may be provided by communication with a data center. For example, a service provider may host, or have hosted on its behalf, one or more physical computing devices in a data center that provide client computing devices with access to software application via a communication network. Additionally, the service provider can also utilize virtualization technologies to provide access to the software application. For example, the service provider can instantiate and maintain a number of virtual machine instances on the physical computing devices associated with a data center.
Service providers are generally motivated to provide requested content/services or access to requested content/services to client computing devices often with consideration of cost and customer experience. For example, service providers can associate a cost associated with providing the client computing device with access to content/service and manage instantiated virtual machine instances on the basis of cost or available resources.